Tampa Bay Vipers at Los Angeles Wildcats Odds
- Spread: Wildcats -2.5
- Total: 41
- Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET on Sunday
- TV: ESPN
Our staff previews Sunday's game, complete with their projected spread and a pick.
Vipers vs. Wildcats Injury Report
The Vipers got their first win of the year last week, and poof! — just like that, their season-long injury/personnel issues seem to have disappeared.
Week 1 starting quarterback Aaron Murray (foot) returned last week but served as the backup and now seems set in that role.
Change-of-pace quarterback/halfback Quinton Flowers (personal) left the team last week and missed Week 4, but he's now back and reportedly taking snaps only at running back.
Backup-turned-starter Taylor Cornelius is now firmly entrenched as the team's No. 1 quarterback.
And he should have improved pass-catching options around him this week.
Tight end Nick Truesdell (knee) missed Weeks 3-4, but he practiced fully on Friday and is expected to play. Additionally, former Canadian Football League standout wide receiver S.J. Green (knee) seems ready to make his XFL debut. He had a full practice session on Friday and is listed as probable.
After his 24-carry, two-reception workload in Week 4, running back De'Veon Smith (foot) practiced on a limited basis this week, but he is officially probable and should be active.
The Wildcats have 14 players on the injury report. Most of them seem likely to play. For instance, it would be a significant surprise if quarterback Josh Johnson (thigh), running back Larry Rose (foot) and tight end Brandon Barnes (knee) didn't play. They all practiced fully on Friday and are listed as probable.
But other players are less certain. Starting edge defender Shawn Oakman (neck) and starting interior defensive lineman Cedric Reed (knee) are questionable after getting in limited practice sessions on Friday. Oakman missed Week 4, and both seem to be game-time decisions.
Running back Martez Carter (hip) is also questionable. After breaking out in Week 3 with 75 yards and three touchdowns, he missed Week 4 and cannot be counted on for Week 5.
And the Wildcats will be without several key players. Slot receiver Nelson Spruce (knee) will miss his second straight week, and his absence is significant: He's No. 2 in the league with 256 yards receiving.
Kicker Nick Novak (knee) is also out. But given that Novak has made only 40% of his field-goal attempts, his absence might be desirable.
On defense, the Wildcats will be without starting edge defender Devin Taylor (thigh) and starting linebacker Tre' Williams (thigh).
The paragon of health, they are not. — Matthew Freedman
Key Mismatch
Wildcats WR Tre McBride vs. Vipers CB Anthoula Kelly
The Wildcats will be without No. 1 wide receiver Nelson Spruce (knee), who also missed Week 4, but since returning from injury in Week 3, Tre McBride has stepped up and played like the team's true top pass-catching option.
Against the Vipers and cornerback Anthoula Kelly in particular, he should produce.
McBride has perhaps the XFL's best quarterback throwing to him in Josh Johnson, who leads the position with an 84.8 offensive grade (per Pro Football Focus). Of any quarterback to start a game, Johnson is No. 1 with 8.1 yards per attempt.
A dynamic field stretcher, McBride leads the league in air yards (349) over the past two weeks.
The Vipers have their perimeter corners rotate sides each quarter, so McBride — who lines up mostly wide to the left — will get his opportunity to face cornerback Anthoula Kelly.
While his 58.6 PFF coverage grade isn't horrible, it's decidedly subpar, and he is the league's most exploited corner with 207 yards and two touchdowns allowed in his coverage this year.
In Week 3, Kelly was the primary defender on Houston Roughnecks wide receiver Cam Phillips when he went off for 8-194-3 receiving on 10 targets. Based on how McBride has performed over the past two weeks (13-234-3 receiving on 18 targets), he might be in Phillips' tier.
Against Kelly and the Vipers, McBride could have his third consecutive 100-yard game. — Tony Marquis
Our Projected Odds
You’ll find our experts’ consensus spread as well as Sean Koerner’s total below. Find their projections for every Week 5 game here.
- Our Experts' Consensus Spread: Wildcats -4.2
- Koerner's Projected Total: 41.1
Picks
Sean Koerner: Wildcats -2.5
My best bet from last week was taking the Guardians +7.5 at home against the Wildcats. It was a blend of taking advantage of the market's overreaction of the Wildcat's 39-9 blowout Week 3 win along with the Guardians offense playing much better than their 9-point output in the week prior would have otherwise indicated.
The tables have turned for Week 5. The Vipers are coming off a 25-0 blowout win over DC, and the market has overcorrected by installing the Wildcats as just -2.5 home favorites against Tampa Bay. I have this number being closer to -4, so it's critical to grab it before it bumps up to the key number of -3.
Though Wildcats wide receiver Nelson Spruce is headed for a second straight missed game, Tre McBride has stepped up in a big way, going for 5/109/2 and 8/127/1 in the past two games. I'm bullish on the LA offense long term as well, as McBride/Spruce may be the best 1-2 WR combo in the league, and we have seen McBride, Spruce, and quarterback Josh Johnson active in the same game only once — a game LA just so happened to put up a XFL-record 39 points.
Heading into last week, the Vipers were playing better than their 0-3 record indicated, so it wasn't surprising to see them finally break through with a convincing victory at home. But after back-to-back home games, they now have to travel cross country. We have seen XFL teams struggle in these spots — New York's upset win over LA last week comes to mind — which gives me confidence taking LA up to -2.5.
[Bet now at FanDuel. NJ, PA, IN and WV only.]
Ben Rolfe: Wildcats -2.5
As Sean pointed out, cross country travel has been an issue for teams in the XFL, with visitors currently sitting at 0-4 ATS in those spots.
These two teams actually compare quite closely by many metrics, with PFF grading the Wildcats third and the Vipers fifth overall entering Week 5. The Wildcats' advantage comes in the form of their offense, which has earned significantly higher marks in passing than the Vipers.
The biggest issue for the Wildcats is their struggles in run defense. LA's 5.0 yards per carry allowed ranks second-worst, while Tampa Bay is tied for first in that metric on offense, also with 5.0.
But given how close these two teams are in terms of their statistics, the potential impact of traveling cross-country looms large. The Vipers found themselves in a similar spot in Week 2 at Seattle, and they struggled en route to a 17-9 loss.
This line is on the move, but it remains a good value for me up to the -3 mark.
